The Little Drummer Boy
by SydneyAlice
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Edward is searching for the perfect gift for his wife. In a dark alleyway, he finds the one thing Bella has always wanted. "It's amazing what we can hear if we just stop and listen."


**AN: This is a fic I wrote last Christmas that I'd taken down for editing. With the holidays coming up, some longtime readers have been sending me messages, asking for this story, so here it is, with the slight changes I made to it. If this is your first time reading it, I hope it makes you smile. If you've read it before, I hope you enjoy it again. :)**

* * *

**The Little Drummer Boy**

* * *

"Edward, can you believe this snow?"

I glanced up from my laptop and turned toward the office window. There had to be at least six inches of snow on the sidewalk.

"When did that happen?"

"That happened, little brother, while you had your head buried in that document. The Weather Channel says up to ten inches tonight!"

Emmett had always loved snow. It was one of the reasons he refused to relocate from Chicago after our dad retired and handed the reins of the family business over to us. I'd been all for relocating to a warmer climate, but Emmett wouldn't discuss it.

Neither would my wife.

"You're thinking about that pretty wife of yours, aren't you?"

I grinned. "How'd you know?"

"Because you always get this stupid smile on your face whenever you're thinking about her. You know, you make life hell for the rest of us. Rose is always asking me why I don't look at her the way you look at Bella."

His wife, Rosalie, was hell on wheels and exactly the kind of woman my brother needed in his life.

"You're crazy about your wife, Em."

"I am. I just don't wear it on my sleeve like you do."

I tossed some files into my briefcase and snapped it closed. "Well, maybe you should. Women like to know they're loved."

"Yeah, yeah, you get that crap from our father. All our mother has to do is bat her eyelashes . . ."

It was true. After nearly thirty years of marriage, our parents were still crazy about each other.

I stood up from my desk and reached for my jacket, quickly zipping it up. "Well, I'm out of here. I have to stop by the store and pick up a few things."

"The store? On Christmas Eve?"

I shrugged.

"Still haven't found her a gift, huh?"

His laughter rang down the hallway as I made my way through our lobby and out into the frosty Chicago air.

I hated shopping. I especially hated Christmas shopping. Bella hated shopping in general but loved the holidays, so she was happy to fight the crowds to find the perfect gifts for our family. She even loved to wrap them—even though I'd tried to convince her that there were store employees that would happily do that for her. Of course, I had also tried to convince her that there were people who could be hired to decorate the house for the holidays and cater our Christmas party, but she always insisted on doing everything on her own.

It was just another example of how differently we were raised.

Our parents freely admit that my siblings and I were spoiled. We grew up with money, so paying strangers to complete mundane tasks such as decorating Christmas trees or fixing appetizers for a dinner party had been a normal part of our childhood.

Then, I met Bella Swan—a beautiful, brown-eyed transfer student from Seattle who sat next to me in my college economics class. While the rest of us typed lecture notes on our laptops, Bella relied on pen and paper. As the daughter of a policeman, Bella had learned from an early age how to be self-sufficient and frugal. Growing up in a single-parent home without the luxuries of . . . well, almost anything, had given her a shrewd mind and a dogged determination.

She was intelligent and funny, and falling in love with her had been effortless.

By some miracle, she fell in love with me, too.

Dating had been tricky because she'd always refused to let me pay for anything. Popcorn at the movies. Hot dogs at the baseball game. It was a fight every time I pulled cash out my wallet. It took six months of dating before she finally let me pay for dinner.

Despite our differences, we were absolutely crazy about each other. She taught me the importance of saving money for the future while I convinced her that it was okay, within reason, to enjoy the fruits of your labors.

It was an education for both of us.

We dated for two years. After we graduated and found jobs—me with my dad's finance company and Bella with a law firm downtown—I decided there was nothing I wanted more than to ask her to be my wife.

It had taken some negotiating.

The first time I proposed, she'd thrown the five-carat wedding ring at my head and told me to get a grip on reality.

My mom still laughs about that one.

I still wasn't satisfied with the modest stone that has rested on her hand for the past three years, but she loves it, and I love her, so I deal.

I tightened my scarf around my neck and continued down the icy sidewalk toward the department store. While my wife loved to shop for everyone else, she wasn't as forthcoming when it came to her own Christmas list, which usually translated to me buying something outrageously expensive that she forced me to return.

This year, I'd yet to find the perfect gift, and it was driving me crazy.

It was also Christmas Eve, and I was officially out of time.

I scanned the windows, hoping that inspiration would strike. Everything was twinkling and beautiful, but there was nothing hanging in these windows that she would love, and I want her to love it so much that she won't force me to take it back.

A bookstore window caught my eye, and there on display was a set of children's books. I swallowed convulsively as I scanned the titles, recognizing many of them from the bookcase in our nursery.

Back in June, we'd been ecstatic to learn that we were pregnant, and the very first thing we bought was a book shelf. Bella was thrifty with everything except books, and she'd filled the bookcase full of children's stories.

Then we miscarried, and the nursery and all the books inside it remained untouched to this day.

There was only one thing in this world that Bella truly wanted—the one thing money couldn't buy—and that was a biological child.

A little me.

A little her.

A little us.

The doctor's explanation of "sometimes these things just happen" didn't satisfy either of us, but the fear of losing another baby was still so raw and suffocating that Bella wouldn't even discuss trying again. The doctor gave us the green light, but it was six months later and she still wasn't willing to try.

I really wanted to try.

Pulling my jacket closer, I made my away around the corner and came upon a tiny crowd gathered just outside the coffee shop. There was a small band playing, comprised of guitar players and Christmas carolers. When the song ended, the spectators exploded with applause and dropped money into the open guitar cases that littered the feet of the musicians.

Suddenly, an old man tugged on my arm. He was wearing a tattered coat and looked desperately in need of a bath.

"Do you hear drums?"

I didn't see a drummer in the band, but there was a distinct "rum pum pum" echoing from the alley.

"I think it's coming from back there," I replied, pointing toward the darkness.

Another song began, and once again, I heard the "rum pum pum" coming from the alleyway.

Intrigued, and probably a little stupid, I stepped away from the man and slowly walked toward the sound. Each step I took brought me closer to the beat, until finally, I saw a little boy nestled in the corner, playing a snare drum by the light of a lantern. The drum was scarred and the strap was frayed, but it was obviously the boy's most prized possession.

_Probably his only possession, _my conscience whispered to me.

Did he live here? In this filthy alley? And where were his parents?

"Shall I play for you?"

His voice was just a whisper, and his clothes were dirty and ragged.

"I heard you playing," I murmured. The last thing I wanted to do was scare the kid. "You were very good. Are you alone?"

He nodded.

"Where are your parents?"

His face contorted in pain, and I felt my stomach lurch. He couldn't be more than five. Maybe six.

"Shall I play for you?" he asked again. A little stronger this time. A little more determined.

I nodded, and while wearing my thousand dollar designer suit, I sat down on the flattened section of a shredded cardboard box and listened to him play. Each rhythmic thump pierced my soul, and when he came to the end of his song, I reached inside my jacket for my wallet.

"No, sir," he whispered. "I don't need your money."

I nearly laughed. The kid was surrounded by dumpsters and living in a cardboard box. If anyone needed my money, it was this child.

"What _do _you need?"

"Just food."

"I can pay you with food?"

He nodded, and I noticed his eyes were suddenly a little brighter. He was dirty and skinny and had the biggest, bluest eyes I'd ever seen.

"Why don't you come home with me? My wife loves to cook."

He shook his head. "I can't leave. I'm waiting for my parents to come back."

_How long has he been waiting?_

"How old are you?"

"I'm six, sir."

I glanced at the light of the lantern.

"Do you have a name?"

He nodded.

"My name is Seth."

"Well, Seth, my name is Edward, and it's getting cold out here. It's going to keep snowing."

"Yes, sir," he whispered again, and I heard the tremble in his voice.

"I could take you home with me for a little while, just long enough to get you bathed and fed. Then we could try to find your parents if you'd like."

At the mention of a bath, he smiled. How long had it been since he'd bathed? I could only assume it had been ages.

The little boy bowed his head, and when he looked up at me again, the light in his eyes was long gone.

"No, sir. My parents told me to stay here."

I closed my eyes in frustration. I was a master negotiator in the financial world. Had I really met my match in a six-year-old living in a cardboard box in an alley?

Maybe so.

But I had a secret weapon.

* * *

"You realize it's ten degrees?" Bella asked when I met her at the corner. "This better be one delicious cup of coffee."

I grinned and kissed her cold cheek.

"Can the coffee wait just a bit? I want to introduce you to someone."

Taking her gloved hand, I gently pulled her toward the alley. Understandably, she hesitated when she noticed the direction in which we were headed.

"Edward, have you lost your mind?"

"Probably," I muttered, but I pulled her along anyway. With the distant light of the lantern as our guide, we slowly walked toward Seth's cardboard box. He was still there, holding his drum. His eyes grew wide when he saw the beautiful girl by my side.

"Seth, this is my wife. Her name is Bella."

Bella's eyes were frozen on the little boy. Her hand clutched mine, and I held my breath as she examined his surroundings. There really wasn't a lot to see in the dark, but you didn't have to see much to know the situation wasn't good.

"Hello, Seth."

"You're pretty," he said softly.

I smiled._ Secret weapon, indeed._

"Thank you."

"Shall I play for you?"

Bella's eyes settled on the drum strapped around his tiny body, and she nodded.

The drumsticks began their slow tapping, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to shield her from the snow and wind.

"Where are his parents?" she murmured over the beat of the drum.

"I don't know."

"We have to do something."

"I know, baby. I tried to get him to come home with me, but he just kept saying he had to wait for his mom and dad."

"How long has he been waiting for his parents?"

"I don't know. I wondered the same thing."

There was something really beautiful about my wife, and it was a quality that a lot of people never had the chance to witness. There was a certain look in her eyes and a particular expression on her face that let you know she'd made a decision, and you would be an idiot to stand in her way. I had seen her work her magic on stubborn clients and arrogant lawyers.

This kid didn't stand a chance.

Bella dropped to her knees in front of the little boy, right there on the dirty, snowy ground.

"Seth, I just made some homemade chili. Do you like chili?"

He nodded.

"I also made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Those are Edward's favorite, and I always make a bunch extra. Do you like peanut butter and jelly?"

My heart broke as the little boy licked his lips and nodded once again.

"Why don't you come home with us? You could help Edward eat his sandwiches, and then later, we'll try to find your parents."

I could see the indecision on his little face. He didn't want to say no. That was another incredible thing about my wife. Telling her no was virtually impossible.

"My mom told me to stay here."

"But it's so cold, Seth," Bella murmured, her voice breaking with emotion.

"I'll be okay."

Bella lowered her head, and for just a second, I worried that even my amazing wife had met her match. But then I heard her quiet sniffles, and Seth's face fell as he realized he'd made her cry.

"Why are you crying, Bella?"

She lifted her head and gazed into the little boy's eyes.

"Because I'm going to worry about you tonight. I'm afraid you'll be hungry and cold."

"Please don't cry."

I held my breath as he reached for her. His dirty little hand pressed against her face, but Bella didn't even flinch.

"I don't want you to worry. I'll go home with you, Bella. Please don't cry."

Bella rose to her feet, and I wrapped my arms around her.

Seth looked up at me. "Can I bring my drum?"

"Of course you can."

With a smile as bright as the stars, the little boy took my wife's hand. She took mine, and the three of us walked out of the snow-covered alley.

* * *

After three bowls of chili and five sandwiches, Seth was now freshly bathed and wrapped in a kid's robe. His head rested in Bella's lap as she read him a story in front of the fireplace.

I didn't ask where she found the storybook.

I didn't have to.

Mesmerized, I sat across the room and watched as her fingers fluffed his hair. The dirt and grime had given way to a head full of shocking blonde hair. His eyes were closed but his smile was bright as he listened to Bella's gentle voice.

The Christmas tree glowed in the corner of the room, and if I lived to be a hundred years old, I would never forget the look on Seth's face when he saw our tree. To me, it was just an ordinary tree. Beautiful, definitely, but just a regular tree. I'd seen a thousand of them in my lifetime. But to that little boy, it was a magnificent sight. He hadn't taken his eyes off it throughout dinner, prompting Bella to finally place everything on trays and carry them into the living room so that we could sit around the tree while we ate.

After dinner, Bella had helped him take the longest bubble bath in the history of the world while I'd made some calls. The first call was to my sister, Alice—the manager of one of the department stores in town. The next call was to my friend, Jake, who was an investigator with the Chicago PD. Only one of those calls had proven successful. Alice had arrived an hour later with enough clothes to dress an entire first grade class. Jake, however, was a complete dead-end.

"I can hand him over to Child Protective Services," he'd said.

"Which means what?"

"Which means he'll likely end up as a ward of the state. They'll probably send him to a group home."

Not the answer I wanted to hear. When I'd told Bella, she'd leveled me with a look that assured me that sending Seth to a group home wasn't an option at all.

I hadn't expected it to be.

A million questions raced through my mind as Bella continued to read aloud to the little boy in her lap.

_Where are his parents? Are they even alive? How long has he been living in that alley? What about the lantern? How is it still working? Had he been eating, and if so, __what__?_

I shuddered as I recalled the dumpsters surrounding his cardboard box.

There was also the mystery of the drum. Convincing him to let go of the drum in order to take a bath had required some negotiating, but my wife was an amazing woman. She had tempted the little boy with the promise of bubbles—fun, soapy bubbles that wouldn't be good for the drum at all.

I wanted to fumigate that drum.

Burning it would be better.

Bella fell silent, and that was when I heard Seth's quiet snores. His face was sweet and content as he snoozed in her lap. Her fingers continued ruffling his hair, and the smile on her face as she gazed down at the little boy assured me that I had finally found the perfect Christmas gift for my wife.

And I had a feeling we wouldn't be returning him.

"Can you imagine what he's been through?" Bella whispered.

We were lying on the bed in the guest room with Seth sandwiched between us, still snoring peacefully.

"No, baby, I can't. I don't want to."

Her eyes were brimming with tears. "Tomorrow is Christmas Day. Kids all over the world will be waking up to trees full of toys, and this child would have woken up in a cold alley without anything but a drum and a lantern."

She dissolved into quiet tears, and I reached across the sleeping boy, cradling her face in the palm of my hand. She offered me a watery smile and sighed softly.

"Edward, can we keep him?"

I wasn't at all surprised by the question.

"It won't be easy. We don't know a thing about him, Bella. His parents could be out there somewhere. He could be sick. We'll have to go through the proper channels, starting with Jake and child services. This might not be easy, sweetheart."

"I know, but we can't take him back to that cardboard box. I won't do that. Not ever."

"No, we won't do that, I promise. There's nothing we can do tonight. There probably isn't

much we can do tomorrow, with it being Christmas. But I'll call Jake and see what needs to be done."

"I'll call Rosalie and get the number of the kids' pediatrician," she said. "Maybe the Cullen name will convince the doctor to make a Christmas Day house call."

_Christmas Day._

"I wonder if the mall is still open," I mumbled.

"Doubtful." Suddenly, her eyes jumped to mine, and they were wide and full of despair. "Oh, no, Edward!"

"Shh, I know," I said soothingly. "I'll take care of everything, sweetheart."

Her beautiful brown eyes were glistening.

"You will?"

"Of course I will."

I kissed her softly before pulling the blanket around the two of them. Seth had shifted in his sleep, and now his blonde head was nestled against her chest and his hand was pressed against her cheek.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I didn't have time to be emotional. I had to find a toy store that was open late on Christmas Eve.

* * *

"Alice, you don't know how much I appreciate this."

"Yes I do," she smiled as she handed me the credit card receipt. "Your appreciation comes to just under $2000. Our store thanks you, and my commission thanks you, as well."

I grinned. "Don't lie. You enjoyed yourself."

"My brother hands me his platinum card, points me toward the toy department, and tells me to go nuts. Yes, I enjoyed myself immensely." She looked at the mound of toys and frowned. "How are you going to get them all wrapped?"

"Umm…don't you have employees who will do that for me?"

Alice snorted. "It's ten o'clock on Christmas Eve. If you haven't noticed, the store is closed."

I groaned.

"I can get them delivered," Alice said, "but I'm afraid you'll have to wrap them yourself." She smiled brightly as she patted the giant teddy bear on his head. "I don't know how you'll wrap this fella, but good luck with that."

I glanced at the drum set. It was red and white, and most importantly, clean.

_Yeah, I don't know how I'll wrap that, either._

"Maybe I don't have to wrap anything," I said, the wheels spinning in my head. "Maybe just having them waiting under the tree will be surprise enough."

Alice shot me a disapproving glare. "You could tie a big bow around the bear, but everything else needs to be wrapped. That's part of the excitement! All of the brightly colored packages and the mess to clean up afterwards. It's all part of the Christmas morning experience."

I had no idea what Seth's normal Christmas experience was like. Would this be his first?

If so, it was going to be one he'd never forget.

"Well, little sister, I suggest you get our brother on the phone and call our parents. Tell them there is a gift wrapping party going on at my house, and I expect everyone to bring their own gift wrap and tape."

Her eyes softened. "You're really attached to this little boy, aren't you?"

"He just . . ." my voice faltered as I tried to wrap my mind around the situation, ". . . he has nothing, Alice. He's living in a box in an alley, and his only possessions are a lantern and a little drum. I watched him eat my wife's dinner as if he'd never seen food in his life, and then I watched as she bathed him in a tub full of bubbles. Right now, they're sleeping, and he is wrapped in her arms. So, yes, you could say that we've become attached."

Alice walked around the counter and wrapped her arms around my middle, squeezing tightly.

"We'll make Christmas perfect for him," she promised.

* * *

True to her word, Alice got the toys delivered to the house, and I tipped the guys outrageously for working late on Christmas Eve.

Now to get it all wrapped.

Emmett and Rosalie were on their way over, as were my parents and my sister. After calling and giving them strict instructions to not ring the doorbell, I peeked into the guest room to find Bella and Seth still fast asleep.

_Should I let her sleep?_

Bella loved to wrap gifts, and I had a feeling she would kill me if she didn't get this chance.

Slowly, I crept toward her side of the bed and kneeled onto the floor. It took several soft kisses against her forehead before she began to stir.

"Edward?"

"Hi, sweetheart."

She sighed softly. "What time is it?"

"It's pretty late, but I want to show you something."

Bella glanced down at the sleeping boy in her arms.

"He's been restless," she murmured. "Bad dreams, I think."

I nodded. With a life like his, I could only assume that nightmares were common.

"We'll keep the door open so we can hear him," I told her.

Nodding, Bella gently slipped Seth of her arms and wrapped the blanket tightly around him before following me out into the hallway.

A small part of me was really dreading this reveal. Bella was never happy whenever I handed Alice my credit card.

"Okay, don't get mad," I said in preparation, "but I spent a lot of money."

Her eyes went wide as we entered the living room.

We might as well have walked right into a toy store.

Every flat surface was covered with some type of toy. The giant teddy bear was nestled close to the tree. The drum set was right next to the bright blue electric car. There was the red bicycle with training wheels and the deluxe train set that surrounded the tree. There were Legos, action figures, gaming systems, and enough video games to last him until he was a teenager. Alice, in her brilliance, didn't just buy toys, however. There were also clothes and shoes and enough books to open a library.

It was literally anything and everything a child could ever want on Christmas morning.

Bella was stunned speechless.

"I know it's a lot, Bella, and I know we're probably going to have an argument. I just wanted him to have a perfect Christmas. It might be his _first_. We have no way of knowing, and I just wanted us to make it special."

With tears sparkling in her eyes, she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you for making it perfect."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now we just have to get it all wrapped," I said.

Her face turned ashen, and I laughed.

"Don't worry. I've called in reinforcements."

It was the middle of the night. Seth hadn't stirred, even with the commotion of my family as we wrapped gifts and placed them under the tree. They promised to be back at dawn so that they could meet the little boy who'd completely stolen our hearts.

"A Mercedes-Benz?" Bella smirked at me as I finished tying the bright red bow around the hood. "What? Was the Porsche sold out?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

She smiled brightly, and I couldn't recall when I'd last seen my wife this unbelievably happy.

Exhausted, but happy.

"Come here, sweetheart," I said, gently tugging her by the hand and collapsing with her against the sofa. The gifts were bright and beautiful as they encircled our giant Christmas tree. This was no longer a regular tree. I'd never seen one so beautiful, and not just because of the expensive gifts surrounding its branches. This tree was symbolic of so much.

Hope, love, and family.

What more could any little boy—or any grown-up, for that matter—want on Christmas morning?

* * *

I had always considered myself a happy person, but when I saw the look on Seth's face as he tip-toed into the living room that morning, I knew I'd only felt joy like that twice in my lifetime.

The day we learned we were pregnant, and the day Bella became my wife.

Those moments had been the happiest of my life, and it was clear by the absolute delight on his face that today was his.

"For me?"

He'd only asked that same question a hundred times in the last hour. With every rip of the wrapping paper, he'd utter those words, and I'd catch my mother wiping away tears, each and every time. My family adored him, and I knew that nothing under any of our trees could be better than the gift we'd given each other today.

Joy through the eyes of a child.

We'd given him that.

We'd given that to each other.

The drum set was loud, but nobody cared. His happiness was better than any headache.

Bella and my mom prepared a gigantic breakfast, and my family nestled themselves around our living room floor while we ate. Seth would eat for a while, then run and play with a toy, before returning to his plate once again. Even I could sense that it was probably sensory overload for the kid, and no one was surprised when he started complaining with a tummy ache. My sister-in-law simply grabbed her cell, dialed the number to her pediatrician, and within an hour, he was making a house call on Christmas Day.

There were definite perks to being a Cullen.

The initial diagnosis was simple indigestion—too much food on a sensitive stomach that probably hadn't seen a decent meal in ages. Still, we made an appointment for the next day to give Seth a complete physical exam. I listened with pride as my wife went into full Mama Bear mode, asking a million questions that I never would have even considered.

It was just one of the many reasons why I loved her.

The family finally headed home in the afternoon, leaving us alone with just the rhythmic sound of the drum echoing in our ears. Bella and I were snuggling on the couch while Seth ran from one toy to the other. Naturally, the drum was his favorite.

"You know, I've heard a drum set is the leading cause of divorce."

"You'd never leave me," I said with a wink.

Her face softened as she snuggled deeper into my arms.

"Why would I? You've given me the world, and I don't think I've ever truly appreciated it until now."

"It's just a bunch of toys, Bella."

"Not to him, it isn't. It's his very first Christmas, and _you_ made that happen. You took care of everything."

I kissed the top of her hair.

"I told you I would, and as long as I'm breathing, you'll never want for anything. Neither will he,

and neither will any other children that we're blessed with—whether they are our biological children or not."

She tilted her face toward mine. A single tear streaked down her cheek, and I gently wiped it away.

"You have my permission to spoil them rotten," Bella said quietly.

I smiled and kissed her gently.

"It will be my pleasure, baby."

* * *

The next morning was blustery and cold, and my driver navigated through traffic as we made our way to the pediatrician's office. His building was close to Seth's alleyway, and Bella and I both saw the fear in the little boy's eyes as he watched it pass just outside our tinted windows.

"I need my lantern," Seth whispered, his voice filled with fear.

"Why do you need your lantern, sweetheart?" Bella asked.

"What if it gets dark again? What if it gets cold again?"

I stared out the window and tried to hide how much his words broke my heart. Bella—always a hundred times stronger than I could ever hope to be—just whispered her promise that he'd never be cold again.

Once Bella and Seth were inside and registered with the receptionist, I decided to go back to the alley and retrieve that old lantern and look for any clues that might have been hidden in the darkness.

It looked even worse in the daylight.

The filth was the least of it. Rats scurried from the dumpster as I made my way toward the cardboard box that was now completely covered with snow.

_If I hadn't found him last night . . ._

"I bet you're looking for this," a voice echoed behind me.

I turned to find an old man. He looked familiar, although I had no idea why. He was holding Seth's lantern.

"We met last night," he said, answering my unspoken question. "I was standing in front of the coffee shop. We heard the drum."

I nodded. "I remember you."

The man was clearly homeless, and his clothes were ragged and worn.

"I can't thank you enough for last night. I never would have followed the sound of the drum if you hadn't brought it to my attention."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Seth beats on that drum every night, and no one notices. It's amazing what we can hear if we just take a moment and really listen."

"How long has he been living here?"

"A few weeks. Two days ago, his parents went to get food, and they never came back."

Bile rose in my throat.

"They were good people and loved their son very much," the man said when he noticed my angry expression. "I'm sure it's not by choice that they didn't return."

Suddenly, I was even angrier at the man standing before me.

"You knew he was living back here! You knew he was cold and alone, and you did nothing?"

The man looked at me quizzically. "What could I have done?"

"You could have taken him to a hospital! To a shelter. To the police. You should have gotten him some help!"

The old man's face broke out in a soft smile.

"I'm sure by now you've called the police. I'm sure they told you what happens to abandoned children."

My blood ran cold.

_Group home._

"Still, that would have been better than him freezing to death!"

The old man offered me another sad smile. "The lantern kept him warm."

"Lanterns run out of oil, eventually."

"Some do, yes."

I took the lantern out of his hand.

"He's just a little boy, and you should have helped him."

The old man smiled, but this time, his face was peaceful.

"I did help him," the man replied. "Granted, it took some time. I didn't think you were ever going to leave your office. The snow helped."

My eyes narrowed. _Was the old man a stalker?_

"I _did _help him," the man whispered, placing his hand against my shoulder. "And I helped _you_. Merry Christmas, Edward."

A gust of icy wind blew across my face, and I closed my eyes to shield my vision from the cold.

When I opened them again, the old man was gone.

* * *

_**One year later . . .**_

"Shall I play for you?" Seth asked me. His smile was bright and his eyes were clear and happy as he sat down at the piano.

It was amazing the difference a year could make.

It was Christmas Eve, and our annual holiday party was in full swing. Bella and Seth had spent the day baking cookies and pies. For the first time, she'd allowed me to call a caterer for everything else. Juggling motherhood with her job at the law firm had been an adjustment for Bella, but the happiness that glowed from her beautiful brown eyes assured me that she wouldn't want it any other way.

It had taken many heartbreaking months and mounds of paperwork, but Seth was finally our son.

As we had feared, his parents had succumbed to the harsh winter, and their bodies had been identified at the county hospital. The only other family we found was a cousin in Oak Park—a mother of five who made it clear that the last thing she needed was another mouth to feed.

After that, the paperwork had moved right along.

Seth's fingers sailed seamlessly along the keys of the grand piano, filling the air with the sounds of Christmas. We had convinced him to trade in his drums for something a little less deafening, and he'd taken to the piano like a fish to water.

Our son was amazing.

He was now seven and in the second grade. We'd considered having him repeat first grade, but his teachers felt that, with a little encouragement over the summer, he'd be more than ready to keep up with his second grade classmates. Bella had taken time off from the firm in order to work with him, and by the time school began, our son was doing multiplication—a skill his classmates wouldn't be learning until much later in the year.

Needless to say, Seth was a little bored at school.

However, he was polite and sweet, and his teachers and classmates adored him. He had piano lessons twice a week and Karate lessons with his Uncle Emmett every Friday night. He was well-adjusted, healthy, and happy, and the absolute joy of our lives.

The nursery had been quickly converted into a "big boy's room," and the books which had lined the shelves for so long were read each and every night. Sitting on top of his dresser were the lantern and his old snare drum.

He couldn't bear to part with them.

Neither could we.

So much had changed, and I couldn't imagine life could get any better.

And then it did—with one last Christmas gift from my wife.

"I didn't see this under the tree." I grinned at her as she handed me a package.

It was late on Christmas Eve, and the party-goers had finally headed home. Seth was sleeping in his bed, and Bella and I were getting ready to arrange the gifts from Santa around the Christmas tree.

"I know," Bella said softly. "I didn't want you to open it in front of everyone else."

Intrigued, I raised the box close to my ear and shook it gently.

It rattled.

_Interesting._

"Just open it," Bella whispered with tears in her eyes.

Very carefully, I pulled the ribbon and lifted the lid. Nestled inside the gift tissue was a shiny, silver rattle. I looked at her with wide eyes.

Tears were now streaming down her face.

"Merry Christmas, Daddy."

Words failed me, but none were really needed. I just lifted her into my arms and held her close.

Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of sleigh bells could be heard in the distance.

Bella gasped. "Is that . . ."

I smiled as I remembered the words of the old man who had truly given me everything I'd ever wanted.

"It's amazing what we can hear if we just take a moment and really listen," I said.

* * *

**Merry Christmas!**


End file.
